Baby, What A Big Surprise
by lost in pale blue
Summary: SLASH. In the aftermath of the fight with Chase, Reid decides life is too short to keep his feelings hidden. He attempts to show Tyler he can be romantic. This is fluff. There's kissing, but nothing beyond that.


**Disclaimer**: I own nothing and am making no money from this.

**A/N**: written for the LJ comm 50ficlets. Not beta'd so all mistakes are mine. There's language in here because Reid has a potty mouth. This is in the same universe as Better Than Ice Cream and If It Makes You Happy.

* * *

Reid looked expectantly at Tyler. "Well?"

Tyler just stood there staring at Reid, not saying anything, a subtle blush painting both cheeks.

'C'mon, Ty, you're killin' me here. Say something." Reid fidgeted, pulling at his fingerless gloves before tapping out a nervous staccato against his leg.

"I...what exactly do you want me to say, Reid? You just told me that you_ like_ me. I don't...I can't..."

"Shit, look, just...do you feel that way about me?" Reid rolled his eyes at himself. He felt beyond stupid in this conversation. He never talked about his feelings, but dammit, he had to know how Tyler felt.

"I don't know! You can't just put me on the spot like that, man."

Reid opened his mouth to say _something_ to try to ease this awkward-as-hell situation, but Tyler beat him to it.

"I'm gonna go to the library. I need some time to think about this."

Tyler grabbed his backpack and practically flew out of the dorm room.

"Shit."

* * *

"You actually rented something not horror, action or comedy?" Tyler looked shocked at the very idea.

Reid shrugged nonchalantly. "I know you've been wanting to see that movie for awhile and no one would watch it with you, so I figured, why not?" He rolled his eyes at Tyler's suspicious look.

"It won't kill me to watch something different. Just put the damn thing in." He hated dramas. He just hoped that Tyler appreciated this.

"Okay, okay." Tyler put the movie in, then collapsed into the beanbag chair next to Reid's and grabbed the bag of Twizzlers out of Reid's hand.

"Hey!"

* * *

"Where did you find this?" Tyler asked, amazement clear in his voice. He carefully leafed through the first-edition copy of _Peter Pan_ that Reid had just given him, touching the pages almost reverently.

Reid ran an embarrassed hand through his hair. "Uh, well, I know that that's your favorite book, and I know this guy at the used bookstore downtown who's really good at finding rare shit like that." He shrugged and hated how nervous and out-of-his-element he felt. This was just Tyler. His best friend since they were five. He gave Tyler presents on his birthday and Christmas, so this shouldn't be any different, right?

Except it was. It was everything.

"Wow, I...thanks so much, Reid. This is awesome." Tyler stared at him, an inscrutable look in his eyes.

"Yeah," Reid cleared his throat. "Well, I gotta go meet Chris Taylor. He's hookin' me up with a couple kegs for the party this weekend, so see ya later." He smiled at Tyler, a smile that, without him realizing it, he had reserved for Tyler alone.

"Yeah, later."

* * *

"You did this all by yourself?" Tyler sounded skeptical, but Reid couldn't really blame him. Reid had a reputation as a flirt, but not as a romantic.

Tyler walked further into the gazebo and took in the table set for two, including a tablecloth, fine china and crystal goblets. In the middle sat a vase full of daisies, his favorite flower.

"I know, I know, this isn't my usual thing," Reid agreed. "But you like this fancy shit, and well, I wanted to, you know, do something _you_ liked for a change. I always drag you to Nicky's..."

Reid broke off as Tyler sat down at the table. He wondered what Tyler was thinking. Expressions were flying rapidly over Tyler's face, and Reid couldn't decipher a single one.

He started to ask Tyler what he thought, but the waiter Reid had hired chose that moment to deliver the food.

As they cut into their steaks and chatted about school and friends, laughing over the prank Reid had recently played on Aaron, Reid noticed that Tyler's smile reached all the way to his eyes and he looked really happy. He silently patted himself on the back and bit into his baked potato.

* * *

Reid looked up from where he was lounging on his bed when he heard the key in the lock. Tyler stepped into their shared room, tossed his keys onto his desk and nervously looked at Reid.

"Hey, I thought you had to go shopping with your mom today for your cousin's birthday or some shit. Done already?"

Tyler gave a half-hearted smile and shrugged his right shoulder. "Yeah, uh, it didn't take as long as I thought," he mumbled, not looking Reid in the eye.

Reid was confused. Tyler had been acting weird the past couple of days. Reid had tried to get him to go to the slasher film playing at the retro theater downtown last night, but Ty had made some excuse about needing to ask Pogue...something. To be honest, he was so bummed Tyler didn't want to go that he hadn't paid attention to the reason.

"Everything okay, man? You've been acting weird the past coupla days."

Reid was surprised when Tyler blushed at his words.

Tyler took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly and finally meeting Reid's gaze. Reid could see uncertainty and something he couldn't quite identify in Tyler's eyes. Before he could ask anything more, Tyler looked down again, staring a hole into the floor.

"Okay, so I was actually asking Pogue's advice earlier today. And he told me I just needed to man up and talk to you." He was nervously twisting his fingers, and Reid wondered what could possibly be so bad that Tyler was acting like this.

"Okay." Reid drew the word out, not knowing what else to say.

"Well, ever since you told me a couple weeks ago that you like me, I've been doing a lot of thinking."

Ohhh. Everything suddenly became a little clearer to Reid. He was kind of apprehensive, though, of what Tyler would say next.

"And what I realized is that I like you, too." He looked back up then, seeming more unsure than Reid had ever seen him.

"R-really? You're not just fucking with me, are you? 'Cause that'd be a really shitty thing to do, Ty."

Tyler smiled shyly and got up, walking over to Reid and sitting beside him on the bed. "I'm totally serious. You won me over with your charm and attempts at romance." He grinned outright at this.

Reid snorted. "Shut up, you fucker." He then slowly, gently, met Tyler's mouth with his own, increasing the pressure of his lips as Tyler gave a soft moan. Tyler's fingers weaved themselves into Reid's hair, pulling the soft strands, but not enough to hurt.

Tyler opened up underneath the gentle insistence of Reid's tongue. Their tongues met and slid together, saying everything the other needed to know.

After exploring each others mouths, they reluctantly pulled apart. Reid ran his thumb over Tyler's flushed cheek and smiled.

"Hey, Tyler?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna be my boyfriend?"

* * *

I hope the schmoop didn't give you cavities :)


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